Vote Now: Pick Patch's Newest Athlete of the Week

Be heard by picking our Patch Athlete of the Week of the southwest for the week ending Nov. 20.

Vote for one of the following (or write in your own candidate in the comments):

: Football team: Bolingbrook (12-1) outlasted Naperville Central 22-19 Saturday at Memorial Stadium to advance to the Class 8A state finals for only the second time in the school’s history. Junior quarterback Aaron Bailey rushed for 199 yards and a winning 60-yard touchdown scamper.

Gabby Sims, sophomore swimmer: Sims won the 100-yard backstroke individual state swimming championship in 55.8 seconds. Sims also placed eighth in the 100-yard butterfuly with a time of 57.22 seconds.

: Swimming, relay team: Hannah Veselik, Maya Rodrigues, Dana Vinyard and Rachel Hawken finished 34th in the prelims of the state swimming and diving meet with a time of 1 minute, 52.12 seconds. 

: Ethan Pocic, junior offensive lineman: Pocic earned Illinois High School Football Coaches Association for Class 6A. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound junior has already received scholarship offers from Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Purdue, West Virginia and Arizona, according to Comcast SportsNet.

: Nick Samuelson, senior linebacker: Samuelson made the Class 5A Illinois High School Coaches Association All-State Academic team. He maintains a 3.5 GPA. Samuelson earned all-conference honors and was the Spartans’ team MVP. He registered 57 tackles, 16 of them for a loss, and four sacks while intercepting two passes and scoring two defensive touchdowns.

: Warriors Hockey Club: The varsity team won the Prairie Ridge Invitational tournament, beating the No. 1 ranked New Trier hockey team. The Warriors began the season 12-0. The club represents Waubonsie Valley, Metea Valley, Oswego East and Marmion Academy.

Want to write in your own candidate? Go ahead! But be sure to explain your pick in the comments and be sure to vote by 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 22.

The winner will be recognized on Patch sites in the southwest suburban network on Thursday, Nov. 24. Weekly winners will also be eligible for Patch Athlete of the Month recognition.